Friend Zoned
by starkid1directioner
Summary: 'The characters are so cheesy.' He muttered, setting his forehead on mine. 'No. They're sweet.' I argued. He arched an eyebrow. 'They're cliché.' 'They're really not-' A throat cleared and I looked up to find a glaring Evans peering down at me. She shifted her gaze to James and straightened up. 'We need to have a meeting with the prefects.'


Friend zoned

As the train set off, I let myself sink into the seat, a book perched on my lap.

'You can't be serious.' Furrowing my eyebrows I looked up at Sirius as he ripped the book away from me. 'No reading until we get to Hogwarts.' He ordered, frowning heavily.

Reaching forward I moved to pull the book away from him but was distracted as James walked in. Seeing his partner in crime, Sirius looked at James for support. 'Back me up here mate; tell her that she can't read until we get to Hogwarts!'

'No,' I insisted. 'Back me up. Tell him to give me the book back.'

He looked between the two of us and rolled his eyes when we both asked, at the same time, 'Who's your best friend?'

Sitting between us, he took the book out of Sirius' hands and then sat on it.

'Where were you James?' Remus piped up, closing the book that was in his hands.

'Come on Moony.' I looked at James with a teasing smile. 'He was obviously with Evans.'

'No actually I wasn't.'

I exchanged a look with Sirius. That was a first.

'Then where were you mate?'

'Getting these.' He pulled out some chocolate frogs from his pocket and handed one to Remus and I.

'Prongsie,' Sirius whined with a pout. 'Where's mine?'

'I saw you all summer. Get your own.'

Rising from his seat, Sirius grumbled and walked off in search of the food cart.

'And this,' James said, facing me as soon as Sirius had left. 'Is for writing to me over summer.' He placed a small locket in the palm of my hand.

'James-'

'It's for your birthday.' I sighed and pecked his cheek. Looking away, I looped it around my neck and caught sight of his blush in the window.

'Muggle romance books really?' I froze and whipped round to face him. Please tell me he wasn't reading it and hadn't figured out that the main character was described to look like him.

He flipped through the book in his hand with a slight frown. Please for the love of all things magical tell me that he hadn't figured it out.

'James give that back.'

'No.' Stretching his hand up, he moved the book from my reach. As I moved to get it, one of his hands snuck round to my waist and tickled me.

I let out a shriek of laughter as he pulled me down onto his lap, the book thrown into a random corner.

'The characters are so cheesy.' He muttered, setting his forehead on mine.

'No. They're sweet.' I argued.

He arched an eyebrow. 'They're cliché.'

'They're really not-'

A throat cleared and I looked up to find a glaring Evans peering down at me. She shifted her gaze to James and straightened up. 'We need to have a meeting with the prefects.'

He nodded, his eyes never leaving my face. Evans went to walk away and stopped before turning back to me. '5 points from Gryffindor for indecency Myers.'

My mouth dropped open in protest and James spoke up. 'You can't do that Evans. It's against the school rules. Term hasn't even started yet.'

She froze and gave him a terse nod before looking at him expectantly. 'The meeting?'

Standing, he linked his fingers with mine. Evans eyes flickered down to them and she shot me a look. I pulled my hand away slowly only to have James link our fingers again. 'She's a prefect.'

'Relax.' I nudged him playfully as he bounced his knee up and down. 'It's only Defence Against the Dark Arts.'

'But I need it to become an Auror.'

As soon as he started wringing his hands nervously, I took them in mine. 'Defence is your best subject. You'll be perfectly fine.'

'I hope you're right.' He muttered under his breath and stood up as the professor ordered us into a line.

'Go.' He inched closer to the line and I found myself pushed several places behind him. 'It's a boggart,' he hissed at me as the person before him walked up.

Oh Merlin. A boggart.

'James you're up.' Straining to look past everyone, I sighed and listened up for his voice.

Muffled gasps were let out by the people at the front and I heard him stutter and speak faintly. 'Rid-riddi-'

'James you don't have to,' Sirius spoke up as I moved out of the line.

I froze as I saw his pale, quivering form. Slowly his raised arm, lowered and his wand fell to the floor. A gasp left my throat as I looked at his boggart. Nodding at Sirius, I caught James' arm as Sirius pushed him out of the way.

I dragged him over to a chair and forced him to look at me.

'James.' His eyes widened at the sound of my voice. Scanning his eyes over my face, I noted the huge amount of relief that filled them. Pulling me over onto his lap, he buried his head into my neck.

'I thought you'd died.'

I rubbed my hands up and down his back. 'I'm here James. I'm alive.'

He nodded, repeating my words over and over to himself.

'Potter.' He pulled away reluctantly and looked expectantly at Evans. 'You dropped your wand.'

He nodded once, taking it in his hand and glanced away from her, his free hand moving to my face. 'I'm going to protect you.'

I began to speak, aware of Evans eyes on us and the hurt displayed in them. 'James-'

'These are dark times and anything could happen to you. I'm not going to let you get hurt.' I hugged him close and he pulled me tighter against him.

From that day on, he hadn't let me out of his sight. He went everywhere with me.

'James you need to sleep.' He groaned and closed his eyes and set his head against my shoulder.

'Come with me.'

'Nothing's going to happen to me over night.'

Wrapping an arm around me, he pulled me closer. 'Please.' Pulling back he showed me his puppy dog eyes. Let it be known that I was a sucker for puppy dog eyes but on James they were lethal.

'Evans doesn't like me being there,' I muttered.

'Who cares what she thinks.'

My eyes widened. 'You do.'

'No I don't.' I frowned at him as he closed his eyes and settled against me, a yawn slipping past his lips. Wrapping an arm around my waist he nestled his head into my neck.

You'd have thought that he'd care more about Evans. Especially now when she seemed to like him back.

'What did you think about James' boggart?'

I looked up as Sirius slid into the chair across from me. James shot him a curious look and moved to sit by Remus. 'It was strange. I mean I'd have expected it to be Evans rather than me.'

'I didn't.' My eyes snapped up to meet his, demanding an explanation. 'You know how we always compete to be James' best friend. Well he told me I'm his best friend.'

I did my best to mask my hurt but apparently he caught sight of it. 'What I meant by that was that he could never see you as his best friend. Wait. That came out wrong.'

'Save it Sirius.'

'If he accepts you as his best friend then he's accepting his position as a friend. He'd have been friend zoned.'

I froze slightly, trying not to let hope blossom that I hadn't been friend zoned either. 'You're wrong he likes Evans.'

'No he doesn't! He just lets you think he does.'

Giving a slight scoff, I leaned closer. 'And why would he do that?'

'Because no matter how many times Evans rejects him it doesn't matter because it doesn't hurt him in any way.' He lowered his voice. 'But if you even rejected him once, just once then he'd be broken beyond repair.'

'You don't mean that,' I said quietly, looking down at my lap.

'He gave you the locket didn't he?'

'What does that have to do with anything?'

He gave an exaggerated sigh and ruffled his hair. 'It's an old pure blood custom. You give a symbol of your promise to remain faithful to them and them alone to the person you want to spend the rest of your life with.'

'And you think that's my locket?' I asked uncertainly.

'It has the Potter family crest on it doesn't it?'

I remained silent. The crest was engraved onto the back of it.

'James.' I bit my lip, wondering whether I should do this or not. Unhooking the necklace, I place it in the palm of his hand.

'What's this?'

'Sirius told me what it was for.' He stiffened and looked warily up at me. I swallowed thickly. 'And I think that you should give it to the person it's meant for. Evans.'

Closing my eyes slowly, I walked away and paused hearing his voice. 'Why would I give it to her?'

'It's a promise James. A promise to-'

He crept up behind me. 'To love only that person for the rest of my life. I know.' Sweeping my hair over to one of my shoulders, he fixed it back around my neck. 'That's why it's rightfully yours.'

I turned to face him. 'James-'

'It's just your choice if you decide to keep it or not.'

'I think I will.'

I turned to face him and watched as a small smirk gradually made its way onto his face before it disappeared. 'You do understand what it means right?'

I nodded, suddenly too shy to meet his eyes. Sweeping me into his arms, he picked me up bridal style.

'Where to future Mrs Potter?'

'I wouldn't that far as to day that I'll one day marry you.'

'I would. You can't resist my charms.' He smirked arrogantly.

I rolled my eyes and tried to pull away only to have him pull me closer.

'You didn't answer my question.'


End file.
